Each of us has most likely experienced both kindness and cruelty in the workplace. Perhaps a co-worker made you feel special on your birthday by gifting you something you love or your boss badmouthed you even after you diligently finished a project.
It's frustrating, isn't it—being on the receiving end of a cruel comment or bad situation?
By negatively contributing to workplace culture, you are:
- Increasing absentee rates of employees.
- Creating a disruptive environment, lacking in inspiration and productivity.
- Causing a high turnover rate of employees (costing your company a lot more money).
Statistics from the Harvard Business Review also prove that positive workplace cultures are more productive because:
- 550 million people lose their jobs every year to stress.
- 60-80% of workplace disagreements co-workers are related to stress.
So, how can you show acts of kindness in your office?
You can be an antidote to a bad workplace culture. Be someone who contributes inspiration, positive self-esteem, and good news. Doing so can help create a less disruptive world around us, too.
Do not glaze over the importance of being kind to your boss and co-workers, just because they don't fall into the realm of family or friends. All of us spend so much of our lives at work, it can become a prosaic environment absent of creativity and goodwill...unless you start being kinder.
At Work It Daily, we advocate boosting company morale and employee health, so here are three easy ways to do so!
1. Create A Compliment Box
Bigstock
Many offices provide suggestion boxes, which offer feedback anonymously geared towards the overall department. This easy and simple method has worked for years. Why not use this same concept for a Compliment Box?
In this box, everyone can be encouraged to write positive words about their co-workers.
Write compliments on a piece of paper, fold it up, and drop it in the box! In staff meetings, one person can read the compliments out loud, which can be an influential technique that makes people feel good about their jobs and who they work with.
2. Commit To Random Acts of Kindness
Bigstock
Random acts of kindness—those actions that create a burst of joy with no hidden agenda, can be extremely gratifying for both the giver and receiver.
Examples:
- Offer to buy a co-worker lunch or coffee.
- Give someone a glowing recommendation to their boss.
- Organize a charity drive.
- Smile and say hello to everyone you pass in the hallways.
- Brush ice or snow off co-workers' cars in the parking lot.
3. Don't Join the Negative Nancies
Bigstock
Just because someone around you is spreading rumors, gossiping, or engaging in negativity in any shape in the workplace, it doesn't qualify as an invitation for you to join in.
Stand up. Say something or stop rumors from spreading, for example, when you know they aren't true. Or, try to approach Negative Nancies with the most compassion and kindness—sometimes they are the ones who need it the most.
Impress recruiters with your disruptive cover letter! Download your FREE cover letter samples now!
People engage in cruelty for a reason. Many of them are going through battles we just can't see. Kill em' with kindness, our friends!
What will you do starting today to improve your employee morale? Are there any workplace concerns troubling you? We'd love to help!
Join our career growth club today and get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!
If you want FREE career advice in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily Dose!
- 5 Ways To Boost Your Self-Confidence And Happiness At Work ... ›
- What Executives Need To Know About Workplace Culture - Work It ... ›
- 6 Ways To Celebrate Valentine's Day At Work - Work It Daily | Where ... ›
- 5 Acts Of Kindness To Get Through A Career Crisis - Work It Daily ›
- How To Create A Healthy Work Environment - Work It Daily ›
